Capital Eye Opener: Friday, September 4

Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:NEMAZEE FACES ADDITIONAL FRAUD CHARGE: U.S. prosecutors say that high-profile Democratic fundraiser Hassan Nemazee defrauded not only Citigroup’s banking unit, but two other banks as well. As the Center has reported previously, Nemazee was a notable fundraiser for President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a host of other prominent Democrats — many of whom are returning his donations. Nemazee faces up to 30 years in prison for allegedly seeking a fraudulent loan from Citigroup. Now, Reuters reports that Nemazee allegedly “repaid his fraudulent loan from Citibank with approximately $74 million that he obtained by defrauding yet another bank.” The news service was not able to immediately reach Nemazee’s lawyer for comment.WHO YOU GONNA CALL?: If you have received letters falsely claiming to be from constituents or advocacy organizations regarding Congress’ cap-and-trade energy legislation, a handful of liberal groups hope you answer this question with “them.” Chris Good at the Atlantic reports that the National Wildlife Federation, the American Association of University Women, the Sierra Club, the Center for American Progress Action Fund, and the NAACP established a new toll-free telephone line today for citizens to call “if they themselves were a victim of a forged letter or have knowledge of one.” Check out CRP’s earlier coverage of this controversy here.

CRP, IN THE NEWS: Paul Barton of the Arkansas Times cites CRP campaign contribution data in his dispatch about the battle for health insurance reform in the home district of top Blue Dog Mike Ross (D-Ark.). Patrick Thibodeau of Computerworld cites CRP lobbying data in an article about the K Street activities of high-tech computer companies like Microsoft and IBM. And National Public Radio’s Michele Kelemen talks with CRP Communications Director Dave Levinthal about President Obama’s nomination of several top fundraisers for ambassadorships. “They are people who are financiers who’ve helped the Obama campaign from the outset, and they are getting some plum positions – France, Spain, Germany, the U.K., Japan, Canada,” Levinthal told her. “It doesn’t mean necessarily that these people are underqualified. It doesn’t necessarily mean that these people shouldn’t be in the positions that they’re in. But clearly they do have a relationship with the president that goes beyond just one of merit. There is a financial relationship there, and we just want to make sure that people understand that there is.”

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